Cartoning machine



July 3, 1962 G. GAMBERINI CARTONING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8, 1960 FIG.I

INVENTOR GOFFREDO GAMBERIN! ATTORNEY July 3, 1962 G. GAMBERINI CARTONING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 8, 1960 INVENTOR GOFFREDO GAMBERIN! ATTORNEY July 3, 1962 G. GAMBERINI CARTONING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 8, 1960 INVENTOR GOFFREDO GAMBERINI ATTORNEY July 3, 1962 GAMBERIN] 3,041,803

CARTONING MACHINE Filed March 8, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ZIO FIG.6

INVENTOR GOFFREDO SAMBERINI 5 A BY Maw ATTORNEY July 3, 1962 G. GAMBERINI CARTONING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 8, 1960 wdE INVENTOR m R E B M A G O D E R F F. 0 G

BY 1 z 1/ ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,941,803 QARTGNING MACHINE Gotfredo Garnbsrini, Bologna, Italy, assignor to emerican Machine 8; Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 8, 1964 Ser'. No. 13,631 4 Claims. (Cl. 53-61) The present invention relates to an automatic cartoning machine, that is, a machine intended to introduce into any containers, for example into cardboard boxes or the like, a preestablished quantity of single objects of any kind, of the same dimensions and generally of prismatic form, as for example packs, small boxes, cases or the like, grouping and ordering them so as to fill the container completely. The individual objects, which must be introduced in ordered manner in the container to be filled, will be called in the following description and in the annexed claims simply packs, while said container will be called carton but these terms must not be understood as lirnitative for the field of application of the cartoning machine according to the invention.

The automatic cartoning machine according to the invention is characterized essentially by the fact that into the carton to be filled, arranged lying down, that is, with its mouth open sideways, there are introduced horizontally one after the other vertical layers of packs, of which each layer is composed of a predetermined number of superposed horizontal rows of packs and is formed by charging on a descending plane, at the upper side of the mouth of the carton, one above the other horizontal rows of packs and lowering the descending plane by one step, corresponding to the height of one pack, after each charging on said plane of a row of packs until making it descend in line with the lower side of the mouth of the carton.

Preferably, the carton to be filled is completely fitted on a fixed horizontal forming tube, having a section corresponding to that of the carton and open at both of its opposite vertical heads. Before the head of this forming tube, opposite the bottom of the carton, there is arranged the horizontal descending plane, lowerable by steps from the upper edge of the tube to its lower edge and then suddenly liftable back again. On this descending plane are formed one after the other, at each comthe stoppage of the descending plane in its completely lowered position in line with the lower side of the forming tube, each vertical layer of packs is pushed horizontally into the forming tube. The individual vertical layers of packs, introduced one after the other into the forming tube, are pushed through the latter by steps by the subsequent layers introduced in the tube and come out one after the other at the opposite end of the tube, thus pressing on the bottom of the carton, extracting the latter one step at a time from the forming tube and lodging themselves in the carton. In this way the carton is extracted stepwise from the forming tube until it is completely extracted therefrom when it is entirely filled, that is upon introduction of the last vertical layer of packs. The full carton is eased on a chute or any conveying device which supports it during its progressive extraction T from the tube and on which it is removed from the machine, while a new empty carton to be filled can be fitted on the tube.

structurally, the invention can be carried out in a variety of forms. Preferably the packs are fed on the horizontal working plane of the machine, at the upper side of the lateral mouth of the carton to be filled, or respectively of the forming tube, in a continuous row, from which a first transverse transfer piston, acting intermitplete descent thereof, the vertical layers of packs. During I tently, takes en bloc and pushes onto the descending plane, or respectivelyafter the first lowering thereofonto the packs already loaded thereon, each time a certain number of aligned packs constituting one of the horizontal rows of packs which form a vertical layer. After the complete lowering of the descending plane to the lower side of the mouth of the carton or respectively of the forming tube, that is, after the formation on that plane of a complete vertical layer of packs, the latter is pushed en bloc by the descending plane into the carton to be filled, or respectively into the forming tube, by means of a second transverse transfer piston acting intermittently.

These and other characteristics of the invention and the advantages deriving therefrom will be evident from the following description of a preferred model illustrated by way of non-limitative example in the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURES 1 and 2 illustrate in perspective a single pack and, respectively, an open carton full of packs.

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate the whole of the cartoning machine in side elevation and in plan, respectively.

FIGURE 5 illustrates the machine in plan with more structural details.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof along line VI-VI of FIG. 5.

FIGURES 7 and 8 are vertical transverse sections of g eG machine along lines VII-VII and VIII-VIII of FIGURE 9 is a horizontal section line IX--IX of FIG. 6.

With reference to the figures, the illustrated machine is intended to fill prefabricated boxes of corrugated cardboard S (FIG. 2) with prismatic packs A of equal dimensions (FIG. 1), grouping and ordering these packs so as to fill completely the carton S, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. Naturally, the dimensions of the carton S are chosen and predetermined so as to permit this complete filling in layers with packs A.

The cartoning machine comprises a frame 1, to which is fastened a horizontal tube 2 made of thin material but sufficiently rigid and open on both its vertical opposite heads (FIGS. 3 to 6). This tube 2 presents in section a rectangular profile equal to that of the carton S and stands out freely from the frame 1 above a sliding plane 3 for example with rolls, which is arranged in line or almost so with the lower face of said tube 2 (FIG. 3 and 4). The section of tube 2 standing out freely from frame 1 presents a length at least equal to the depth of the carton S, so that the latter can be completely fitted thereon, adhering with its bottom against the free outer end of said tube 2, as illustrated with dash-dot lines in FIGURES 3 and 6.

Before the upper inner edge of tube 2 and at the same height thereof is provided the horizontal Working plane 4 of the machine on which are fed in continuous row, through a channel 5 and transversely to said tube 2, the packs A to be grouped and introduced in the carton S. These packs A preferably come directly from the preceding operating machine, for example a packaging or cellophaning machine, and flow into the inlet channel 5 under the action of a conveying belt 6 (FIGS. '4 and 5). The packs A are arranged in the row with their greater face horizontal and their wider side at right angles to the direction of movement.

Between the working plane 4 and the tube 2 is provided a horizontal descending plane 7 which extends transversely to the tube 2 at least over the entire width thereof and which is movable for example by means of small rolls 8 in vertical guides 9 (FIGS. 3, 5, 6, 7). This descending plane 7 assumes an initial position, in which it is coplanar with the working plane 4 and constitutes a lateral proof the machine along longation thereof, while it then goes down stepwise, each time by a distance corresponding to the height of a single horizontal row of packs A, until reaching a lower posi tion in which it is coplanar with the lower side 1532 of tube 2 (FIGS. 3, 6, 7). Thereupon, the descending plane 7 suddenly goes up again into its initial position coplanar with the working plane 4.

On the side of the working plane 4 opposite the descending plane 7 is arranged a piston it which extends similarly over the entire width of tube 2 parallelly to the row of packs A which forms on the working plane 4 (FIGS. 3 to 6). This piston 16 moves intermittently forward and back transversely over the working plane 4.

When the row of packs A which advances through the feed channel 5 on the working plane 4 reaches the opposite end of said working plane, it actuates, by pressing thereon, any sensitive device 11, for example, an electric micro-switch (FIGS. 4 and 6), which initiates, as will be seen later, an elementary work cycle of the machine. Piston 19 then shifts forward on the working plane 4 and thus transfers a horizontal row of packs A (consisting of a predetermined number of single packs corresponding to the width of the carton S) from the working plane 4 to the adjoining descending plane 7 which is in its upper starting position. Then, while piston 10 returns back to the side of the working plane 4, the descending plane 7 is lowered by one step together with the row of packs A loaded thereon, which is guided laterally by two fixed vertical walls 12 (FIGS. 4 and 5) and in the meantime is compressed from above by means of a presser 13 (FIGS. 4 to 6) which accompanies it and insures its introduction and descent between the walls 12.

During the forward and back course of the piston 10, the advance of the row of packs A in the feed channel 5 is temporarily stopped by a pair of pliers 14 (FIGS. 4 to 6) which closes, retaining them, on the first packs A of said row, immediately preceding the group of packs engaged and transferred on the descending plane 7 by said piston 10. After the return of piston 10 to its starting position, the pair of pliers 1 3 opens again and thus releases the row of packs A which resumes its advance on the working plane 4, again occupying the entire space before said piston 16 to the sensitive means 11, again pressing the latter and thus initiating the next elementary work cycle of the machine. Piston 10 then repeats its forward and back course transversely on the working plane 4, transferring a new row of packs from the latter onto the descending plane 7, but this time on the row of packs previously loaded, whereupon the descending plane 7 goes down another step. The above-described elementary work cycle is repeated until the descending plane 7 reaches its completely lowered position, in line with the lower side 102 of tube 2. In this way there is formed on the descending plane 7 a vertical layer of packs A composed of a predetermined number of horizontal superposed rows (FIGS. 6 and 7). This vertical layer of packs is then transferred en bloc from the descending plane 7, into tube 2 by a horizontal piston 15 which is provided on the side of the descending plane 7 opposite tube 2 and which moves intermittently forward and back transversely to said descending plane 7 (FIGS. 3 and 6).

After the return of piston 15 to the starting position, adjoining the lowered descending plane 7, the latter suddenly rises into its initial upper position and thus initiates a new sequence of elementary work cycles, during which, by piston 10 and due to the stepwise lowering of the descending plane '7, there is formed on the latter a new vertical layer of packs A in the manner described before. This new vertical layer of packs is transferred by piston 15 into tube 2, pushing forward in this tube the vertical layer of packs previously introduced.

The operation is repeated until tube 2 is completely filled with cohering vertical layers of packs A (FIGS. 3 and 6 The following vertical layer of packs introduced by piston 15 into tube 2 pushes forward the entire block of packs contained in said tube 2 and causes to issue from the opposite end thereof the first vertical layer of packs, which, pressing on the bottom of the carton S, extracts the latter by one step from the tube 2 and thus lodges itself in said carton. The operation is repeated with each successive vertical layer of packs pushed by piston 15 into tube 2, each time extracting carton S by one step from tube 2 and simultaneously lodging a new vertical layer of packs in said carton, until it is completely filled and it no longer slides out from tube 2, coming to rest on the sliding plane 8 (FIGS. 3 and 4).

The operator of the machine then provides to fit on tube 2 another empty carton S, while he turns the full carton over and makes it slide forward on the sliding plane 3, turning its mouth up and sealing it with the application of the label.

The movement of the above described operative organs of the cartoning machine according to the invention, that is, the actuation of the transfer pistons 10 and 15, of the descending plane 7, of the presser 13 and of the stopping pliers 14, can be obtained structurally in a variety of Ways. In the example illustrated, the motor 16 of the machine is kept always in motion during the functioning of the cartoning machine and may be coupled to the shaft 17 by means of an electro-magnetic coupling 18 through the expandible pulley 19, the trapezoidal belt 20, the pulley 21, the reducing gear 22, and the pair of gears 23, 24 (FIGS. 7, 8 and 9).

of packs A by the piston 14). The electromagnetic ecupling 18 is controlled by the micro-switch 11 responding to theformation of the row of packs on the working plane 4 in front of the piston 10, as well as by another fixed micro-switch 25 (FIGS. 3 and 9) controlled by a cam 26 cottered on said shaft 17. When the row of packs on the working plane 4 reaches and actuates the microswitch 11, the latter sends current to the electromagnetic 17 is provided another shaft 28, on which is mounted loose a cam 29 integral with a gear 30 which is driven by a gear 31 cottered on shaft 17 (FIGS. 6, 8 and 9). The two gears 39 and 31 are alike, so that during an elementary cycle of the machine also cam 29 executes a single complete revolution. Cam 29 is designed grooved and actuates the piston 10 which transfers with every elementary work cycle a row of packs from the working plane 4 onto the descending plane 7. This piston 10 is mounted slidable by means of its rear rod 110, on a slide 32 which in turn is mounted slidable parallelly to the sliding direction of said piston It) on a fixed guide 33 (FIGS. 5, 6, and 8). Piston 1% is provided with another rear rod 210 which is mounted slidable in fixed supports 34 and on which slides an extension 1132 of the piston-holding slide 32. Slide 32 is shifted forward and back by an angle lever 35 which is fulcrumed at 135 and is articu lated with one of its ends by means of connecting rods 36 to said slide 32, while its opposite end engages with a roll 37 in the groove of cam 29 (FIGS. 6 and 8). On slide 32 are mounted two coaxial gears 38, 39, fast with each other and of which one (38) meshes with a rack 40 provided on rod of piston 10', While the other (39) meshes with a rack 41 integral with the fixed guide 33 (FIGS. 5, 6 and 8). In this way, when slide 32 shifts,

The shaft 17 executes a single complete revolution at every elementary cycle of the machine, that is, at every transfer of the working plane 4 on the descending plane 7 of a horizontal row I Shaft 17 executes a single complete revolu-' i it takes along piston by means of gear 38 which meshes with rack 40 of said piston and which at the same time is rotated, due to the rolling of the other gear 39 on the fixed rack 41, so as to cause piston 10 to slide in relation to slide 32 in the same direction as the latter. With this plane differential mechanism, piston 10 multiplies and for example doubles, its course in relation to that of the piston-holding slide 32, thus permitting greater work strokes to be obtained with relatively small oscillations of the control lever 35 and/ or with a correspondingly small jump of cam 29.

On shaft 28 is mounted loose another gear 42 which engages with a pinion 43 cottered on shaft 17 and which has fast on it two grooved cams 44 and 45 (FIGS. 6, 8 and 9). The transmission ratio between pinion 43 and :gear 42 corresponds to the number of horizontal rows which forms a complete vertical layer of packs A on the descending plane 7. Consequently, with every elementary work cycle or with every complete revolution of shaft 17, gear 42 and the two earns 44, 45 execute a fraction of the angle of revolution corresponding to the number of elementary cycles necessary for forming a complete vertical layer of packs. Thus, for example, in the case illustrated, every vertical layer of packs is composed of ten horizontal superposed rows, so that gear 42 is ten times greater than the pinion 43 and with every complete revolution of shaft 17 the gear 42 and the cams 44, 45 execute one tenth of a revolution.

Cam 44 serves to actuate the descending plane 7 and is ideally divided into a number of parts corresponding 1 to the number of horizontal rows which form one complete vertical layer of packs. In the example illustrated,

cam 44 is therefore divided into ten ideal parts, of which nine have a decreasing, constant profile corresponding with the proper ratios, to the height of a row of packs. These nine steps of cam 44 determine the lowering, each time by one step, of the descending plane 7 at every elementary cycle of the machine, that is, after every transfer in a row of packs from the working level 4 onto the descending plane 7 by piston 10. The tenth part of cam 44, however, presents a profile which determines first the last lowering step of the descending plane 7, bringing it into its lowest position in line with the lower plane 102 of tube 2, and

then the complete rapid rise of said descending plane 7,

raising it into its initial upper position in line with the working plane 4, as soon as piston 15 has transferred the vertical layer of packs into tube 2 and has pulled back.

Also the descending level 7 is moved by means of a plane differential mechanism of a type similar to that described for piston 10. For that purpose, plane 7 is mounted slidable vertically by means of its lower rod 107 in a guide 46 integral with a frame 47 which in turn is slidable vertically by means of the bushings 147 on two ateral guide columns 48 (FIGS. 4, 6, 7). The frame mew wr- 45, 511 which are fulcrumed at 135 and which each engage by their free end by means of a roll 51 in a horizontal groove of frame 47. The levers 49, are connected together and are moved together by a lever 53 fulcrumed .at 153, which engages with a roll 54 in the groove of the stepped cam 44 and is articulated to said levers 49, 50 by means of a tie-rod 55 (FIGS. 6 and 8). On frame I 47 are mounted two coaxial gears 56, 57 integral with t each other, of which one meshes with a rack 58 provided on the vertical rod 107 of the descending plane 7, while the other meshes with a vertical fixed rack 59. Due to these two gears 56, 57 and the respective racks 58 and 59, the descending plane 7 carries out, as frame 47 goes down and up, a multiple course, for example a double course in relation to said frame, in the manner already described for the analogous differential device of piston 19. In this way can be obtained the necessary stepwise downward movements of the descending plane 7 and above all the rapid upward return thereof into its upper position, with very small jumps of cam 44.

47 is lowered and raised by means of a pair of levers The other cam 45 actuates the piston 15, which transfers the vertical layers of packs from the descending plane 7 into tube 2. This cam 45 therefore goes into action once only with every complete revolution thereof, shifting pist n 15 forward and back when the descending plane 7 stands still in its lowest position. Also piston 15 is actuated by cam 45 through a plane differential device identical with that described for piston 10. More exactly, piston 15 is mounted with its rear rod 115 slidable on a slide 60 (FIGS. 6 and 8) which in turn slides on a fixed guide 61. A second rear rod 215 of piston 15 slides in fixed guides 62 and with it there engages slidable an extension of 160 of slide 60. On slide 60 are mounted two coaxial gears 63, 64 integral with each other, of which one (63) engages with a rack 65 provided on shaft 115 of piston 15, while the other gear 64 meshes with a fixed rack 66. All in such a way that piston 15 multiplies, for example doubles its course in relation to the piston-carrying slide 60, which is moved forward and back by a lever 67 which is fulcrumed at 153 and engages in the groove of cam 45 with a roll 69, while it is articulated to slide 60 by means of connecting rod 68 (FIGS. 6 and 8).

The above described plane differential devices, whereby the pistons 10, 15 and the descending 7 are actuated, present also the advantage of permitting that the cartoning machine can be easily adapted to various dimensions of the packs A to be cartoned. In fact, the two gears 38, 39, respectively 56, 57 respectively 63, 64 of which each of said differential devices consists, can easily be replaced (also because they are arranged in diflferent planes) by other similar gears having a different ratio with one another, thus changing the stroke of the pistons 10, 15 or respectively of plane 7 in relation to the dimensions of the packs A to be cartoned, without having to change the cams 29, 44, 45.

The presser 13 and the pliers 14 derive their movement from a secondary shaft 70 which is actuated by shaft 17 through the chain transmission 71, 72, 73 and the gear pair 74, 75 (FIGS. 8 and 9). On this shaft 70 are provided two earns 76 and 77 which move the pliers 14 by means of an articulated parallelogram 78, 79 and tie-rod 80, and the presser 13 by means of the levers 81, 82 and the tie-rod 83 (-FIG. 16). The machine may also be operated by hand by means of the handle 84 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 8), disengaging the shaft 17 from the gear 24 by means of an external manual control 85 (FIGS. 3 and 9).

Naturally the invention is not limited to the form just described and illustrated, but can be amply varied and modified, especially structurally, without therefore leaving the scope of the invention set forth above and claimed in the following.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for loading packs into a carton so that the packs are arranged in a plurality of layers of packs, each layer containing a plurality of rows of packs, each row containing a plurality of packs, the combination of a horizontal platform; means for feeding a predetermined number of packs onto said platform to form a row on said platform; an elevator disposed adjacent said platform and movable in a vertical plane located adjcent to said platform; means for transferring rows one after the other from said platform onto said elevator and lowering said elevator to form a layer having a predetermined number of vertically displaced rows; a forming tube disposed adjacent to said platform and adapted to hold a carton for delivery of packs thereto; and means for transferring a predetermined number of layers one after the other from said elevator into said tube to fill the carton, said means being further operative to move the carton in. a step-bystep fashion as each layer is delivered thereto in a direction disengaging the carton from said tube.

2. In a machine for loading a plurality of packs into a carton so that the packs are arranged in a plurality of layers of packs, each layer containing a plurality of rows 75 of packs, each row containing a plurality of packs, the

combination of a forming tube of sheet material adapted to be inserted into a carton for holding the carton in a pack-receiving position wherein an open mouth of the carton lies in a vertical plane; an elongated horizontal platform mounted in a fixed position in front of and above said tube; infeed means for feeding a plurality of packs onto said platform to form a horizontal row containing a predetermined number of packs; an elevator mounted for movement in a vertical plane located between said platform and said tube; means for transferring a plurality of rows one after the other from said platform onto said elevator and lowering said elevator to form a layer containing a predetermined number of vertically displaced horizontal rows; and means for transferring a plurality of layers one after the other from said elevator into said tube to fill the carton with a predetermined number of layers, said last-mentioned means being further operative to move the carton in a step-by-step fashion as each layer is delivered thereto in a direction withdrawing said tube from the carton.

3. In a machine for loading a plurality of packs into cartons so that the packs in each carton are arranged in a plurality of layers of packs, each layer having a plurality of rows of packs, and each row having a plurality of packs, the combination of a forming tube of sheet material adapted to be inserted into each carton for holding the carton in a pack-receiving position so that the open mouth thereof lies in vertical plane; an elongated horizontal platform mounted in a fixed position in front of and above said tube; cyclically operable infeed means for feeding packs onto said platform, said infeed means being operative to feed a predetermined number of packs and to form a horizontal row upon each cycle of operation thereof; an elevator mounted for movement in a vertical plane located between said platform and said tube between an upper position aligned with said platform and a lower position aligned with said tube; means for lowering said elevator from said upper position, in a step-by-step fashion, to said lower position and to return said elevator from said lower position to said upper position; first pusher means mounted adjacent to said plat-form and operable to move each row from said platform onto said elevator, said pusher means.

and said elevator being moved in a timed relationship so that when said elevator moves into its lower position, there. is arranged on said elevator a layer of packs containing a. predetermined number of rows; and second pusher means. operatively mounted adjacent to said elevator for transferring each layer from said elevator into said tube, said.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 817,375 Keyes Apr. 10, 19 06 2,498,071 Dalziel et al Feb. 21, 1950 2,613,021 Bowes Oct. 7, 1952v 2,633,280 Davies Mar. 31, 1953 2,768,756 Horman Oct. 30, 1956 2,796,179 Van Vleck June 18, 1957 2,900,773 Koch Aug. 25, 1959- 

